In today’s update, we dive into Senate Republicans’ spending plans for the midterm elections, the release of the Charlie Kirk File, and the drop in approval ratings for Virginia’s new governor, among other topics.
GOP Midterm Strategy
Senate Republicans are gearing up to invest billions to maintain their majority in the upcoming midterms. The Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), linked to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, announced the cancellation of its initial $342 million ad buy across eight Senate districts.
Here’s a look at the races they’re focusing on, including the candidates they might support:
- Ohio — Senator Jon Husted: $79 million
- North Carolina — Former RNC Chairman Michael Whatley: $71 million
- Michigan — Former Congressman Mike Rogers: $45 million
- Georgia — Competitive primary with Rep. Mike Collins: $44 million
- Maine — Sen. Susan Collins: $42 million
- Iowa — Congresswoman Ashley Hinson: $29 million
- New Hampshire — Former Senator John Sununu: $17 million
- Alaska — Sen. Dan Sullivan: $15 million
This investment marks the SLF’s largest forays into Michigan and Georgia and its biggest in New Hampshire since 2016. Notably, it’s the first time the SLF has gone on the offensive in three Democratic-held swing states: Georgia, Michigan, and New Hampshire.
Data analyst Harry Enten from CNN points out some encouraging signs in polling. He noted that Republicans are surpassing historically expected trends for midterm elections.
For context, in 2018, the last time a Republican president was in office during a midterm, Democrats had an 8-point edge in the popular vote. In contrast, this time, their lead is a mere 5 points.
“Democrats might feel they should be further ahead, but they’re really just slightly ahead… I think five points could be enough to regain the House, but it’s probably not enough for the Senate,” Enten elaborated.
Charlie Kirk File
The Daily Caller News Foundation received a heavily redacted document from Utah Valley University (UVU) concerning events related to Charlie Kirk’s assassination. The request sought personal communications from UVU Police Chief Jeff Long and resulted in 50 documents, many obscured with redactions, including names and certain photos documenting campus renovations post-incident.
Interestingly, an email surfaced sent the day before Kirk’s death, urging someone to “send a message to Charlie Kirk.”
Links to the full reports and their contents can be found online.
Spanberger’s Decline
Democratic Governor Abigail Spanberger of Virginia is experiencing a significant decline in approval ratings just months into her term. A recent poll showed that 47% of voters approve of her performance, while 46% disapprove. This is 13 points lower than the average ratings for Virginia governors since the 1990s, marking the lowest net approval rating among her predecessors.
Spanberger campaigned as a moderate candidate, winning by a margin of 15 points in the previous election. However, public opinion is sharply divided regarding her effectiveness so far.
Shortly after taking office, the Democratic-majority legislature moved to increase taxes, impose more gun restrictions, and implement crime-related policies. Notably, Spanberger repealed a measure that mandated state police cooperation with ICE detainers for illegal immigrants.
The consequences have been notable; reports indicate that 75% of homicides in Fairfax County this year are tied to crimes by illegal immigrants.
Add to that, Spanberger’s unpopularity comes just ahead of a crucial gerrymandering vote, with Democrats looking to redraw legislative maps to expand their representation significantly.
Virginia voters will weigh in on ballot initiatives related to redistricting soon, amidst debates over fairness and representation.
Republican Rep. Len Williams attempted to amend the language of the ballot initiatives to reduce bias toward Democrats, but the Democratic majority blocked those efforts.
CBS Coverage and ICE
Recently, CBS conducted an interview with the parents of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, using the incident to advocate against ICE practices. Liam was briefly detained by ICE during an immigration raid tied to his father, an undocumented immigrant who fled from agents.
Vice President J.D. Vance clarified that contrary to popular belief, the child was never arrested; rather, his father was the one in question. Liam’s parents, who spoke Spanish during the CBS interview, offered differing accounts about the events surrounding the raid.
